Fight or Die
by Zen Ninja Warrior
Summary: AU. The characters from AOS are selected to compete in the 100th annual Hunger Games. Eventual Philinda. Fitzsimmons is also bound to happen in any universe I put them into.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hi, this is my first story, so, don't be too harsh on me. Just to be clear this is from May's POV, she's from District Four in my story.**

Chapter One

I sat on the couch watching the grainy images pass across the screen. The images were shaky do the howling wind outside. On the screen President Loki stood at in his white suit at the podium. His short black hair was swept nicely behind his ears… He looked to be in perfect health. Of course he would be, he lived in the Capital where nothing could go wrong. Here in district four we barely pulled by in the winter months.

"Good citizens of Panem, it has again come to that time of the year. The annual Hunger Games is once again upon us. As many of you are also aware, this year is a Quarter Quell," Loki announces looking straight at the camera. His unblinking eyes send shudders down my spine. My mother joins me on the couch. She looks at the television, her lip curls in disgust.

My mother is a victor of the Hunger Games. She was in the 72nd Annual Hunger she had been fourteen. I believe it had a drastic effect on the way that she raised me. I know seven different kinds of martial arts and can fight with pretty much any weapon you give me. It isn't like she wants me to win the Hunger Games, she just wants me to be able to survive if I ever got reaped.

"For this Quarter Quell, the male and female tributes will be chosen by two selected individuals of the same district," President Loki announced. There was a gasp edited into the audio. I only nodded and tried to comprehend what he had just said.

A selected individual… So that meant at the reaping, instead of reaping the tribute they would be reaping the person to select the tribute… How could you force someone to sentence another person to almost certain death? Dear God, I hoped I didn't get selected… I didn't know how I would ever choose.

"Melinda… Melinda, dear, you need start getting ready for the reaping," Her mother told her standing from the couch.

"Mom, what do I do if I get chosen?" I asked her, staring up at her. "Who do I choose? How do I sentence someone to death?" Mom looked at me, her eyes had sympathy buried within them.

"You won't get chosen. Your name is in there once," She told me comfortingly.

"I know, the odds are close to nothing. But still, what if I am?" I asked her again. She turns and walks towards my room.

"If you are chosen, you choose someone strong. You choose someone who can fight. You choose someone who can win. Don't prey on the weak and easy targets. Make a smart decision, Qiaolian… But you won't get chosen."

She then proceeded to pull out one of my nicer dresses. It was black around the top but turned white around the waist. It hugged my slight curves and stopped mid-thigh. She handed me the dress and I headed to the bathroom to change. After I changed I did my hair. I twisted it into a knot at the back of my neck.

Then, together me and mother walked to the center of the district and prepared for the reaping. Everyone seemed extra nervous, which was strange to me. They were more nervous to choose someone to fight in the games than they were to fight in the games. It might be strange, but at the same time I completely understood why they were so nervous.

Our district's escort was Jane Foster. A girl in her mid-twenties, she often dressed in some ridiculous clothing but she was alright. Mom had had her over for dinner on several occasions. Today, she had chosen to wear an orange gown that went to the ground, it had a plunging neckline that left nothing to be desired.

"Hello, District Four. How do you do? I hope you're all well," She said and sounded much more cheerful than I had ever heard her. She also sounded like she might have had a little something, something before she arrived. If I had her job I probably would've too. "Since, it's a Quarter Quell, let's mix things up… Gentlemen first."

She walked across the stages and plucked a paper from the bowl with the boys' names in them.

"Christian Ward," She called. I groaned. Chris was one of the meanest boys I knew. He was a brute, huge, he probably would have a good chance of winning the games. But he wasn't going to take his chances. He would choose someone weak or someone he hated. There was no way that he would think logically or fairly. I only hoped he wouldn't pick one of the younger boys. I turned to watch Christian walk up to the stage. He had just shrugged his shoulders, like picking someone to die was no big deal.

"So, Christian, who do you choose to be the male tribute of district four?" Jane asked Chris.

"I choose Glenn Talbot." He didn't even hesitate. He just said the first name that popped into his head. Him and Glenn had gotten into a fight around a week ago. Glenn had beaten Chris, so obviously, this was Christian's version of payback.

"Okay, Glenn, up you come," Jane pulled Glenn up onto the stage. Confirming my previous suspicions that she had drunk maybe a little bit much, as she tripped and grabbed onto Glenn as support. "Now, the girls…" Jane walked over to the bowl with the girls' names. She reached into the bowl and plucked out a name. Her face fell, and in that moment I knew the name written on that small piece of paper.

"Melinda May," She called… I now had to choose who would die. I would choose which of these girls would have to fight for their lives. I slowly walked to the stage, my head high and my arms swinging my sides. I climbed the stairs. Jane looked at me sympathetically before she pulled me over to the mic.

"Melinda, who do you choose for the Hunger Games?" She asked and put the mic under my mouth. I looked out into the crowd and saw my mom. I heard her voice in my head. _If you are chosen, you pick someone strong. You choose someone who can fight._ I thought about that… Who could win? Who had a fighting shot? That's when it came to me. I knew who to choose.

"Melinda, who do you choose to fight?" Jane asked me again. I squared my shoulders and began to speak.

"I- I choose me… I volunteer."

 **AN: Ahh, May volunteered... Who saw that coming? Next chapter is probably going to be Coulson. Send me your feed back as a review or a PM.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Sorry I haven't updated in a while, school just started so I'm a bit scattered... I will try to update sooner next time. Enjoy the chapter. I don't own any of the characters or the Hunger Games... basically I own the grammatical errors and spelling mistakes if anything.**

Chapter Two

I was a bit concerned when President Loki announced the Quarter Quell. I'm not exactly well-liked here in District Five. I've always considered myself a good guy. I stand up for the people being picked on, instead of throwing in a punch like everyone else. As much as I enjoy being able to call me a good guy others prefer to think of me as a big speed bump on their way to a good time.

I slowly slipped my arms into the jacket of my suit. It was a new one, my mom had gotten promoted so we had celebrated with a nice shopping spree. My favorite part of my outfit was the tie, it was some silk blend and was a shade of light lavender. If I didn't say myself, I looked pretty snappy. As I began my walk to the Main Square. Our escort Pepper Pots stood at the center of the stage. She was dressed in a midnight blue gown that had a high collar around her neck, practically hiding her face from view. Her outfit also consisted of blue feathers put into her very elaborate hairdo. I wasn't exactly what look she was going for, but she kind of looked like a ruffled blue jay to me.

"Hey, Coulson!" I heard a voice yell. I turned to see Rob Gonzales sneering at me. "If I get picked I'm gonna choose you!" I rolled my eyes. Leave it to Rob to hope to be selected. Honestly, the chances of him getting picked were extremely slim, so I'm most likely in the clear. Assuming I didn't get picked… I would probably faint if that happened.

I joined the other seventeen year olds. We were in orderly lines. Everyone holding their breath as Pepper walked across the stage to the microphone.

"District Five, are you ready for the 100th Hunger Games to begin?" She asked with much enthusiasm. Why did all the escorts have this insane amount of cheer and enthusiasm no matter the circumstance? "You all are in for a very special treat this year. The capital has been preparing practically for an entire decade for this VERY special event."

"You ever wonder what would happen if we just refused to fight? Like if the twenty four in the arena just decided not to fight each other." The boy beside me asked. I shook my head.

"I don't think that is possible. Once they get into the arena it's kill or be killed," I told him.

"Yah, I suppose you're right." He replied, shrugging. We watched as Pepper dipped her hand into the girls' bowl. She reached her hand deep into the names and plucked a name from the very bottom.

"Milly Niels," Pepper announced loudly. I groaned slightly, Milly Niels wasn't quite right in the head. She was thirteen, but she had the mental capacity of a four year old. She couldn't make this decision… she wasn't capable of reason… well, not **reasonable** reason. "Well, Milly, who do you choose?" Pepper asked her. Milly shrunk back. From my position in the back of the crowd, I could see her shaking.

"I…. I don't know who…" Milly stuttered and I felt horrible for her. She knew that when people went to the games they died. She knew that the games were NOT in any way good. How was she expected to choose?

"Are you sure dear?" Pepper asked leaning down, so despite her heels she was around Milly's height. "You don't have anyone in mind? Someone who you think would do well in the games…" Pepper let that hang in the air.

"I ju… just choose someone who I think could do good?" Milly asked Pepper her eyes wide. I held my breath waiting for her answer.

"Yes, honey, someone who you think is capable of doing well," Pepper confirmed a fake smile plastered over her face.

"Well, Jemma Simmons is thirteen like me, but she skipped three grades. She's REALLY smart… I think she could do good." I released the breath I was holding, but not for a good reason. Jemma was the same age as Milly, thirteen, she was NOT ready to go into the arena.

"So, you choose Jemma Simmons?" Pepper asked her again, just confirming what she had heard.

"Yeah, I… I… I guess," Milly nodded enthusiastically.

"Jemma Simmons," Pepper said into the microphone her eyes searching the crowd for Jemma. Her eyes stopped when she found the small girl walking along her line of young girls towards the stage. Her red hair bounced on her shoulders. She looked terrified. I heard the Simmons family start yelling. Jemma's brother Clint was fighting against the crowd trying to get to his sister.

"NOOO!" He yelled. "How is this right? Milly shouldn't even be allowed to decide this… She is capable of making a good decision," He yelled. "Redo it… Redo it!"

"I'm sorry, but this isn't against the rules of the game. It is completely acceptable. Milly indicated she would like Jemma Simmons to fight," Pepper said her voice void of emotion. I could tell she didn't want to accept it either. It was always hard to watch the games when there were younger kids in it.

"I volunteer!" I heard a voice yell from the back of the crowd. I saw Clint's girlfriend, Natasha, standing in the aisle. "I can fight instead of Jemma."

"I'm sorry dear, but only the selected person can decide who will fight. Since, Milly chose Jemma, Jemma must be the one to enter the arena," Pepper said into the microphone. Her announcement was met with a series of boos. I was one of them. Natasha Romanov should be allowed to volunteer. Natasha could fight, she had five older brothers and wrestled with us guys at lunch… She always won. Jemma was another story. She had an IQ above 189, but she wasn't that athletic. She preferred to work in the hospital with her mom.

"This is WRONG!" Someone yelled.

"LET HER VOLUNTEER!" Another one yelled.

"President Loki is a child killer," A man screamed from the back. That got the attention of the peace keepers. They walked back to the man and slapped him into handcuffs. They then dragged him off.

"Oh my goodness, please, there has been enough violence. If I could let Ms. Romanov volunteer I would. But, since I cannot I suggest we move along to the boys…" Pepper said her mascara was running slightly at the corners and I could tell she was crying. Pepper reached into the bowl and pulled out a name. "Boyd Davis." She announced, the boy next to me flinched.

"That's me," He whispered. He looked shocked. I suddenly had an idea.

"Choose me," I told him. "Say you want Phil Coulson to be in the games." He looked completely in shock. He began to walk towards the stage. The crowd had been silenced, there were double the number of peacekeepers along the aisles as there had been before.

"Come along, dear, we haven't got all day," Pepper called from the microphone as Boyd walked towards her. "Who do you choose?" She asked him when he reached her. Boyd looked out into the crowd at me, I nodded at him. He had to pick me. I needed this.

"Phil Coulson. I choose Phil Coulson to fight in the arena," He said weakly into the microphone. I walked briskly down the aisle.

"See Coulson, I didn't even have to get called for you to get selected. I'm going to throw a party when you die!" I heard Gonzales yelled. I ignored him, but other people shouted at Gonzales to shut the hell up… That made me smile. As I walked up the stage, Boyd shot me a strange look. It asked a question; why? Why did I ask him to choose me? The answer… I had no clue.

"Now that we have our two tributes, off we go…" Pepper announced and placed a hand at the small of both Jemma and I's backs. She escorted us off the stage and into Town Hall.

I was put in a room alone for people to come say good bye. Both my parents were dead so, I wasn't expecting anyone. So, when the door opened and Boyd walked in I was a bit taken aback.

"Why? Why did you tell me to choose you?" He asked me. "Are you stupid or something?"

"No, I just figured, it would make it easier for you," I told him. He nodded. "Plus, one of us has to try our idea out and I want the credit."

"Yah, sure, that's the reason. Personally, I think there's something wrong with you," Boyd told me. Then he looked me dead in the eyes. "Thank you, it did make it a million times easier."

"Yeah, I'm always right," I told him. "You're welcome. Now, I actually have to figure out a way to live, without killing anyone innocent."

"You'll think of something Phil… I have faith." With that, Boyd walked out of the room, leaving me alone again. I was left thinking of what he had said.

"Phil, dear," Pepper was poking her head into the room. "It's time to go. Are you ready?"

"Yes, ma'am." I told her, following her out of the room. To the train. When we boarded I saw Jemma already sitting in one of the chairs. Her eyes were red and puffy, it was pretty obvious she had been crying. I sat down in the chair next to her. This was going to be a rough trip. Plus, I was pretty sure that for both of us, this would be a one way trip.

"Well, off we go," Pepper said as the train jerked into motion.

 **AN: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I acknowledge that Coulson was a bit OOC, I'm working on that for you guys. Feel free to review or PM me, I'm a fairly nice person. Also, if you review I will try to respond. Next chapter, the Capital... Oooh...**


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